Comments on: Hey, watch it!

By: sumac

sumac — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 04:58:56 +0000

In reply to Lexica. Yeah, I agree that eye contact makes the difference.

By: Lexica

Lexica — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 01:03:25 +0000

From my perspective as a city-dweller and transit-rider for the past 25 years (Oakland and SF), that reads as fine. Making eye contact before/while apologizing makes it personal, rather than a tossed-off BS mouth-noise.

As others have suggested, it’s a fairly minor offense. A low-key apology is both fine and appropriate.

By: S. McC

S. McC — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 15:49:21 +0000

I would say that it was a not very strong apology for this minor offense. Sufficient, but not exemplary.

But the only one who can judge it is the receiver. A whole lot of communication can take place in fractions of a second. I think we are not privy to that communication here.

By: Pamela McCorduck

Pamela McCorduck — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 15:08:51 +0000

Perceptive comments here, and I agree. The guy made a good apology. I’ve been thwacked by many a backpack where the human bearing it just glowered at me for being in its way.

By: Alicia

Alicia — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 10:09:47 +0000

The usual response in London is for the person hit to apologise for having been in the way. I think a brief acknowledgement on the part of the hitter is better.

By: David Turoff

David Turoff — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 04:20:37 +0000

Small offense; small apology; small acceptance: the universe is in balance.

Also, agree with Joe; more contact may have been unwelcome.

By: billbo

billbo — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 01:49:15 +0000

He was checking to see if he had bag slugged anyone who could take him down. When he saw that he was gonna be able to skate on the offense, he went brief so he could get back to his tinder app.

Did he beat her to the handicapped/senior seating? If bag slugging is outlawed, I think an exception should be made for people who use their iphone to avoid looking at the handicapped people hanging from straps as they do important stuff on their phones.

By: fom

fom — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 23:50:40 +0000

I agree.

By: Joe Flower

Joe Flower — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 23:29:00 +0000

Nah, Bernie’s wrong, you’re right. This is a subway platform in New York. The guy acknowledged what he did, and that he did it, and that it was at least a tiny bit hurtful, all in two words. And he apologized. Way more than you usually get in the subway in New York. He was also right to cut off further contact. He may have been just getting back to his own world, but he also may have been thinking that the older white woman whom he had just bumped might feel more comfortable if he kept the apology short and to the point.